China’s Ambassador to Guyana Yu Wenzhe has pledged to donate sport gear to the Ministry of Education, in a demonstration of his country’s commitment to supporting the development of sport and physical education in schools.
According to a press release, Ambassador Yu made the commitment during a recent courtesy call on Education Minister Shaik Baksh, at his Brickdam office. The donation will include footballs, volleyballs, table tennis racquets and tables, badminton rackets and shuttles, tennis balls and rackets, stop watches and whistles. China has also been providing volunteer physical education teachers to conduct workshops, to work in schools, including at the Cyril Potter College of Education.
Baksh also said more focus is being placed on creating a balance between physical education and sport and academic studies in schools to create more rounded students. He said though physical education is already a part of the secondary school curriculum, the drive has been gathering momentum as the number of students writing the subject at the CSEC exams has increased over the years. Also, the average pass rate in the discipline over the last three years is around 98%, the release said.
Currently, the subject is offered at the CSEC level in 17 schools and plans are in train to add it to the programme for more schools. On this point, Baksh praised the Chinese Ambassador for providing volunteers who are working with the Allied Arts Unit to continuously build on the gains made in these two areas. Physical education is included in the ministry’s 2008-2013 Education Strategic Plan and as such open areas have been identified for recreational activities.
